Edwin Van Der Sar, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs… That was ‘Manchester United’. The authentic one, with a personal stamp. Powerful. United in which it was not difficult for anyone to “die” for a teammate, for the team, for victory. Remember that anecdote with Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo?The Portuguese just arrived at Old Trafford. He flaunted attractive tricks in training, and Scholes just watched him. He was caught by an Englishman after a training session, showed him a tree about fifty meters away, told him that he would hit it on the first try, and he did. He then asked Ronaldo to do the same. The guy who we know today as one of the greatest in the history of football did not succeed in ten attempts. Scholes just smiled and left.The same Scholes – for whom Zinedine Zidane, when asked what it’s like to be the best football player in the world, answered with “I don’t know, ask Paul Scholes” – something bothered him in the most recent Manchester derby. Four goals conceded by City at half time? Surely. Six goals conceded at the Etihad? Of course. But also the way United’s wingers behaved, primarily Antony, and then Jadon Sancho.Six and the City! Nine goals, two hat-tricks and proper bangers at EtihadThe Manchester derby doesn’t stop being the most current topic on the Island even four days later. And today, the detail broke out all over England that Antony, otherwise the most expensive footballer paid during the last summer’s transfer window (95,000,000 euros), completely ignored Erik Ten Hag’s request to be a constant support for Diogo Dalot on the right side of the field at the Etihad.In training, the Brazilian fulfilled the requirements, but as the match began, his thoughts either deliberately or accidentally wandered away from defensive tasks. Already in the second minute, he left Dalot exposed, who had to get a yellow card for fouling Jack Grealish. As a result, United’s defender was much more vulnerable in the rest of the match, and Antony did not care. He left Dalot in the gust of wind, against the hungry duo Grealish/Bernardo Silva. And when he approached him to ask for some “help”, Antony would seem quite disinterested, as in the 8th minute, a few seconds before Foden started the Red Devils – Jadon Sancho didn’t do much better protecting Tyler Malacia on the left either.##NAJAVA_MECA_6697023##Once upon a time, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham knew how to bleed for their defenders so that United would win games, so that no one could humiliate their team. Paul Scholes remembered his former team-mates by posting a photo of them on Instagram with the caption “Anyone remembers when the wingers used to help their full-backs?” It is clear what and who he was aiming at.Paul Scholes on Instagram this morning 👀 pic.twitter.com/ElycE2e1rE— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) October 3, 2022 Antony has shown since his arrival at Old Trafford that he knows tricks. It’s also nice that he scored a spectacular goal at the Etihad, but it didn’t change the impression that United were humiliated in the city derby. Ten Hag would have traded that beauty, he would have traded two only if the Brazilian had played for the team and United had avoided disaster.But Antony didn’t have Ferguson on the bench, nor did he have a single Scholes, Giggs, Vidic or Ferdinand on the field. The captain’s armband until recently, while he was playing, was worn by one Harry Maguire, the subject of media and public ridicule. United have not had such greatness and authority for a long time. There is no one to take the hand of Antony and Sancho, still quasi-stars paid a total of 180,000,000 euros, to take them to the meadow and show them that juggling the ball and tricks are not football. There is no captain who will “pull out their ears”, the next time they show they are not interested in defense.
